My brother who is a fit man used to joke when I went off on my 2000 km cycling trips that it was never the couch potatoes that got sports injuries. And sure enough when I hurt my knee cycling that summer I had to agree that he had a point. But this didn't stop him from kicking around a soccer ball or doing light weights on his press bench at home, or playing the odd game of squash.
When I first heard about tennis elbow, I wondered if that was only for the competitive players who played tennis for hours on end every day. And if not, Id have to warn my brother to go easy on the squash, just like he had done with my cycling.
Tennis elbow, which is known as lateral epicondylitis, is apparently an extremely common injury. Pretty much if you're a frequent tennis player, you're at risk of having a case of tennis elbow. And, surprisingly enough, given its name, it affects a good number of people who don't play tennis at all.
Tennis elbow is often caused by repetitive strain or overuse, which is provoked by the repeated bending back of the wrist against resistance. As suggested by its name, you can get tennis elbow from playing tennis, badminton or squash. It also is caused by excessive wrist use.
It typically occurs in the tendon of the extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle. Come again, youre probably saying! The extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle is approx. 2cm below the outer edge of the elbow joint of your humerus bone. You'll notice a tenderness in this region and perhaps some inflammation. More noticeable is the weakness in the wrist when doing simple tasks such as opening a door handle or shaking hands with someone.
To date, there is no one single treatment which is totally effective. However, there are a number of treatments, in combination, that help reduce the occurrence of tennis elbow. For starters, you definitely want to ease off the tennis or whatever triggered your case of tennis elbow. Then you can apply ice or a cold pack to the elbow for 15 minutes, as many as 6 times a day. You might choose to wear a brace or support approximately 10cm down the forearm, and specifically not on the painful area.
And finally as tennis elbow is considered a soft tissue injury, you want to carry out a comprehensive rehabilitation program. You also want to consult with a sport injury physician, as they may recommend a steroid injection or massage therapy or even an operation.
When I first heard about tennis elbow, I wondered if that was only for the competitive players who played tennis for hours on end every day. And if not, Id have to warn my brother to go easy on the squash, just like he had done with my cycling.
Tennis elbow, which is known as lateral epicondylitis, is apparently an extremely common injury. Pretty much if you're a frequent tennis player, you're at risk of having a case of tennis elbow. And, surprisingly enough, given its name, it affects a good number of people who don't play tennis at all.
Tennis elbow is often caused by repetitive strain or overuse, which is provoked by the repeated bending back of the wrist against resistance. As suggested by its name, you can get tennis elbow from playing tennis, badminton or squash. It also is caused by excessive wrist use.
It typically occurs in the tendon of the extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle. Come again, youre probably saying! The extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle is approx. 2cm below the outer edge of the elbow joint of your humerus bone. You'll notice a tenderness in this region and perhaps some inflammation. More noticeable is the weakness in the wrist when doing simple tasks such as opening a door handle or shaking hands with someone.
To date, there is no one single treatment which is totally effective. However, there are a number of treatments, in combination, that help reduce the occurrence of tennis elbow. For starters, you definitely want to ease off the tennis or whatever triggered your case of tennis elbow. Then you can apply ice or a cold pack to the elbow for 15 minutes, as many as 6 times a day. You might choose to wear a brace or support approximately 10cm down the forearm, and specifically not on the painful area.
And finally as tennis elbow is considered a soft tissue injury, you want to carry out a comprehensive rehabilitation program. You also want to consult with a sport injury physician, as they may recommend a steroid injection or massage therapy or even an operation.
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